Get to know our community standards, policies, and requirements.
Read the student handbook

Academics

This section provides details about degree requirements, grades and credits, course registration, exams, and more.

General Regulations and Standards

All students are expected to abide by the regulations and standards outlined in this section, including codes of conduct and the HKS academic code.

Additional Policies

Be informed of additional policies that govern activity at the School and university, from political activism to disability services.

Financial Information

The Office of Admissions and Financial Aid serves as a resource for exploring ways to finance one’s education.

Except where explicitly noted (e.g., grading systems), all expectations related to classroom and community behavior and to academic integrity that apply when students are on the HKS campus also apply when students are not on the HKS campus, including without limitation when they are engaged in remote, on-line HKS activities.

Harvard Kennedy School reserves the right to make changes to the Student Handbook at any time without advance notice. These changes may affect such matters as tuition and other fees, degrees and programs offered (including the modification or possible elimination of degrees and programs), degree and other academic requirements, academic policies, rules pertaining to student conduct and discipline, fields or areas of concentration, and other rules and regulations applicable to students.

In addition, HKS retains the discretion to act as it deems necessary in extraordinary circumstances to protect the health and safety of the Harvard community. For these purposes “extraordinary circumstances” include, but are not limited to, public health emergencies, extreme weather events, and other conditions posing broad threats to community health and safety or significantly disrupting campus life or learning.

Discretionary measures available to HKS may include, but are not limited to, making recourse to remote or hybrid instruction, suspending or limiting access to University-provided residential housing, limiting its provision of or access to certain activities and services, introducing or modifying vaccination, mask, and physical distancing mandates, and implementing compulsory testing and tracing programs as required conditions for accessing the Harvard campus or Harvard facilities.

Please note: non-HKS students who are enrolled in HKS courses are expected to uphold the policies set forth in the HKS Student Handbook, including without limitation those related to academic integrity and the Code of Conduct. Non-HKS students include, for example, Tuition Assistance Program (TAP) students and cross-registrants. HKS may take any and all actions it deems necessary upon the discovery of a policy violation, including without limitation immediately requiring the non-HKS student to withdraw from the course and notifying the non-HKS student’s home institution, if applicable. Additionally, HKS may preclude a non-HKS student who has previously violated HKS policy from registering in any future HKS course.

While every effort has been made to ensure that these pages are accurate and up to date, they may include typographical or other errors. Changes will be made periodically. Do not assume that if something is not specifically prohibited in the student handbook it may be done.